The Hi-Desert Nature Museum will be closed in accordance with the Town of Yucca Valley’s Holiday Schedule, from Tuesday, December 24th until Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
The Museum will reopen with normal operating hours on Thursday, January 2, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Upcoming Events
Decorate wooden nature themed ornaments and meet Santa at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum! From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Yucca Valley Community Center will be transformed into a winter wonderland with over 80 tons of snow, a holiday craft faire, free hot cocoa and cookies, and of course, museum fun!
Santa Claus will be available in the HDNM for photos.
This free event does not require registration and is fun for all ages!
Join us at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum every 2nd Saturday of the month to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects designed for children ages 9-14. Each workshop will focus on a different topic and project. The next workshop will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
Every two-hour workshop runs from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is led by HDNM Education & Engagement Coordinator Zach Fleming-Boyles.
Workshops are $10 each and pre-registration is required. Same day registration is available if spots are available.
Click on the “See All Events” tab to register!
What's On Display
Abuelita's Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories
On Display September 21 - December 14, 2024
Hi-Desert Nature Museum is pleased to present Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories, a temporary exhibit exploring the impact of Mexican and Mexican-American women to the culture of Southern California through the traditional dishes they pass on to their families and communities. The exhibit features 10 indigenous, mestiza, Mexican-American, and Afro-Mexican grandmothers who have cooked, preserved, and passed on Mexican food culture while creating communities and cultures that are unique to Southern California.
Through a documentary film, audio stories, photographs, kitchen artifacts, and family recipes, this exhibit reveals each abuela’s unique relationship to Mexican cuisine, their birthplaces in Mexico, and their current homes in California.
Exhibition Support
Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories was developed by USC professor Sarah
Portnoy with support from California Humanities and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. The exhibition tours through Exhibit Envoy, a nonprofit.
Spotlight on Geology
Our new geology spotlight highlights local rocks, gems, and minerals as well as geological processes. How does wood become petrified? What is a speleothem? Where can I find a sand concretion? The answers to those questions and more can be found in our new spotlight.
Spotlight on Geology will be on display November 2023 until September 30, 2024.
Our Giant Rock: A Touchstone in the Mojave
Our Giant Rock: A Touchstone is an interactive touchscreen exhibit that encourages visitors to discover and explore the nuances that make Giant Rock a unique and cherished Morongo Basin landmark. Giant Rock is most notoriously known for the ‘giant’ personalities who lived near and even under it. However, it has also served as an intermediary for certain stories and events. The exhibit provides a series of interpretive narratives explaining these nuances while incorporating some never-before-seen images, documents, publications, and videos which help illustrate Giant Rock’s history.
This exhibit is made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Subscribe to our Newsletter "Tortoise Tales":
Hours
Wed – Sat: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Federal Holidays
Contact Us
Phone: (760) 369-7212
museum@yucca-valley.org
© 2024 Hi-Desert Nature Museum is administered by the Town of Yucca Valley.
Member of American Association of Museums, Western Museum Association and California Museum Association